You Know What To Do
by joy-of-life
Summary: Lily Evans has always hated James Potter...until a change in seventh year. RLOC and SB with....well....you'll have to read to find out what he's with. Read and review and enjoy! : )
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer—everything that you recognize is JKR's, and everything that you don't recognize is mine : ) "You Know What to Do" was written by George Harrison and performed by the Beatles.

"When I see you   
I just don't know what to say.   
I like to be with you every hour of the day.   
So if you want me just like I need you,   
You know what to do.

I watched you walking by   
and you looked alone.   
I hope that you won't mind if I walk you home.   
And if you want me just like I need you,   
You know what to do.

Just call on me   
when you're lonely.   
I'll keep my love for you only.   
I'll call on you if I'm lonely too.   
Understand I'll stay with you every day.   
Make you love me more in every way.   
So if you want me just like I want you.   
You know what to do."

The Beatles

**The Train Ride**

Clink clink.......clink clink........That was the solitary sound that Lily Evans and Anneliese Stevens heard during their ride to Hogwarts. Boredom set in and the two seventh year Gryffindors were lost in their thoughts.

At the onset of the journey

Amidst weeping parents and children begging to be released from their grasps, two figures could be seen weaving in and out of the seemingly stationary crowd. The girl in the lead, a strikingly attractive red head, kept whipping backward in order to talk to the girl behind her...an equally lovely girl with dirty blonde hair.   
"Come **on **Anneliese! We're going to miss the train!" Lily Evans shouted, vainly trying to make herself heard over the stampede of late Hogwarts arrivals in addition to the shrill noise of the train.

"Alright woman! Are you blind? Can't you see I'm going as fast as I can?! It's not like I can bewitch the trunk to become feather-light Evans....we have to wait until we get on the train for THAT!" Anneliese retorted angrily, pushing her dirty blonde hair out of her line of vision while struggling to keep up with Lily's much larger strides.

Luckily the girls got on the train with a few seconds to spare and barged right through the hallway of the train looking for the Head Compartment. Lily knew it was against school rules to have Anneliese join her, but at the moment all rules vanished from her mind, as the only thing she wanted to do was find a warm, comfortable compartment to sit down in.

"Ah! Here it is!" Anneliese exclaimed, seeing a door with "head compartment" marked on it.

"Finally!" Lily said as she shoved the door open. Unfortunately, instead of seeing a lone figure who could only be her professional counterpart for the school year, she was faced with four boys--the group of boys that Lily and Anne hated more than anyone else in the school: The Marauders--James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew.

"POTTER!" Lily screeched, "What are YOU doing HERE?!"

However, just as James opened his mouth to respond Lily continued with, "NO! I don't care why you're here...just get out!  **GET OUT!**  All of you! I've had a hard day and the last thing that I need is to see you four! GET....OUT!!!!!"

James, deciding to make love and not war, complied with Lily's outburst and told the Marauders to leave. He had done some thinking over the summer. Instead of spending time with his partners in crime, he decided to use the summer to be alone. Sure, he went out with his friends from time to time just to keep them from getting suspicious, but he had really wanted to seriously think about the owl that he had gotten at the beginning of the summer. It was the owl that informed him that he was to be Hogwarts' Head Boy. Any person with a properly working brain would conclude that Lily Evans would be the natural choice for Head Girl, and James, being the bright boy that he is, knew that this year and this position of Head Boy would be his last chance to ensure a relationship with Lily Evans. During his previous years at school he had tormented her and pestered her constantly for a date. He realized that this attempt wasn't working and understood that a different tactic would have to be put into use.

He began to look at his possible relationship with Lily as a Quidditch game. James, being the Quidditch captain, knew quite a bit about strategies. He was using a very aggressive strategy during his earlier years and decided that he should begin a more passive one. It seemed that Lily didn't like him when he was arrogant, when he hexed people for no reason, when he thought he was superior to everyone else....basically a lot of the things about him that he didn't mind so much. However, he did know that he liked Lily enough to be willing to compromise his person so that he could be the kind of man that she would want to be with. What he didn't know was that he was transitioning from an immature boy into a respectable man. His push was just different from most other males—he changed for love.

Keeping with this state of mind, before shutting the door of the head compartment he kindly said, "Nice to see you again....Lily."

Lily was too puzzled by the his sudden kindness that she remained mute for the rest of the journey, only stopping her muffled thoughts to repeatedly bang her knuckle against the window....clink clink clink clink

Lily still didn't come out of her trance as the carriages led her and Anne to the castle.  _Who WAS that guy back at the compartment? Potter would have never listened to me and gotten rid of his friends. Plus, he didn't even ask me out on a date. This has to be a new record for him, _Lily snorted in amusement.  _Still...why was he in the Head Compartment? I'm surprised that Remus would allow his friends to come into the compartment...but then again he was never very strict when his friends were concerned. I wonder what brought about the sudden change in James though. Maybe this year he finally decided to grow up...._she mused.

As Lily mused over James, Anne found herself quite preoccupied with a different Marauder.  _My, Remus sure has changed. I mean, he was adorable last year and I especially loved our time together when he would tutor me...wait....what AM I thinking? He's just a friend....oh, but such a CUTE friend......_ She continued fighting with herself as the carriages continued to carry the girls ever closer to Hogwarts.

Each girl had no idea that the two boys would change their lives forever.

The sudden stop of the carriage jolted the two girls from their reveries, practically falling out of the carriage in the process. After regaining their composure, they walked up the stone steps and into the Great Hall. The enchanted ceiling was full of twinkling stars in a deep velvet sky and Lily couldn't help but be ecstatic. She was where she truly belonged....this was her home...her world....her life.

While Lily took in the atmosphere that only the Great Hall could bring, Anne looked around at all the tables. The Slytherin house table all the way on the left, the Ravenclaw table next to them, then the Hufflepuffs, and lastly the Gryffindor house table on the far right side of the Great Hall. The teachers, sans McGonnagall, talking merrily amongst themselves, were situated at the very front of the room in front of the Hogwarts banner. Anne looked behind her, noticing McGonnagall coming through the large double doors with the little first year students, and grabbed Lily's arm as the two raced to the Gryffindor table. They sat at the end like every year, and were anxious for the sorting ceremony to begin.

After the first years had been sorted, Professor Dumbledore rose to make his yearly speech. As soon as he stood up from his chair the chatter that had merrily buzzed around the ancient room suddenly ceased. The students (even the new first years) could feel the power and serenity radiating from the elderly man and knew enough that when he spoke it was to enlighten them.

"Welcome boys and girls to another year at Hogwarts. I trust that you all had a wonderful holiday and are looking forward to all the work that your teachers have set aside for you," (moans, especially from The Marauders could be heard) Dumbledore chuckled and continued, "yes well, what's a school without homework? Nothing! That being said, I would like to introduce the hardest working students in the school. These young people ho have proven themselves time and time again to be intelligent, studious, and exemplary young people. May I introduce your new Head Students Miss Lily Evans and Mr. James Potter!"

The Great Hall erupted in tumultuous applause (except for the Slytherin table, for obvious reasons) and Lily stared at James, dumbstruck. i How could James Potter, mischief/prankster extraordinaire POSSIBLY become Head Boy? /i Lily questioned.  _I thought Remus was a sure bet! I suppose Dumbledore saw something in him that no one else did. Plus, James DID seem to genuinely act differently today when I saw him in the compartment....maybe he is capable of being responsible and taking this position seriously and with the respect and attitude it deserves..._ As Lily continued to reason with herself, Anne yanked on the sleeve of her robe.

"Lily!" she hissed, "sit DOWN!!!"

"Whaaa?" Lily looked around and saw that while she was consulting her "inner voices" James had already seated himself and she was the only person standing up in the Great Hall....even Dumbledore had sat down in order to wait for his brilliant Head Girl to come to her senses. As a steady blush crept up into her pale cheeks Lily squeaked out a "Sorry" and plopped back down into her seat, utterly embarrassed.

Dumbledore stood up once again and continued his speech, "Quite alright Miss Evans, quite alright. Now, if everyone will note that the Forbidden Forrest is indeed as its name implies, and that for a complete listing of all outlawed jokes/joking apparel to please see our care-taker Mr. Filch, I believe that this feast should be underway," as the students began to look at their plates, expecting foot to pop up at any moment, Dumbledore began to speak, "but before the feast starts," groans could be heard, "I would just like to point out to the first years, when the start of the year feast is finished, please follow your respective prefects to your common rooms, and I would like a word with my new Head Students after the Great Hall has been emptied. Enjoy!"

The Great Hall was once again, filled with applause and the appeasement of many hungry stomachs as food appeared out of nowhere and the student indulged themselves.

Lily, however, wasn't really eating because she was too busy thinking about what Dumbledore could possibly want to talk to her and James about...she would have to wait until the end of the feast...and the end couldn't come soon enough...........

The feast finally ended and students began to trickle out of the Great Hall. Anne, however, didn't want to leave her best friend alone with James Potter.  _James Potter, of all people, is the Head Boy! I CAN'T believe this!!!!_ Anne thought to herself.

Anne, like Lily, had noticed the drastic change in James' demeanor while they were on the train. Anne, however, was aware of other changes that James had been making last year. It began with a conversation that she had with Remus during one of their study sessions. He was going on and on about how much he couldn't stand James talking about Lily. He explained that while James knew the exact colour of her hair and every fleck of green in her eyes, he knew nothing about her as a person. Anne was intrigued by this and every time the two would have a study session, Remus would update her on James' progress.

Anne had taken to watching the two Marauders during sixth year and it soon became clear that James was progressing drastically. He no longer hexed random students (although Remus did tell her of countless occasions when James lost it and hexed Snape into near-oblivion), and he seemed to become serious about his role as a student. He was slowly becoming the things that Lily would want in a man, but his problem remained that he could not talk to her with the maturity that he showed to all other areas of his life. At their last study session, Remus told Anne that James said he was going to be spending some time with himself this summer to "sort things out". Remus and Anne could only assume it meant that James wanted to tackle the last facet of his being—his maturity in conversing with Lily. As Anne (and Lily) saw, it seemed that James tackled that part of his personality as well. Now all Anne really had to do was wait around to see when Lily finally realized how mature and responsible he had become.

However, Anne was pulled out of her reflection by the sudden realization that she was truly all alone in the Great Hall.  _Now what am I going to do? I can't wait here for Lily, that would be intruding on Dumbledore's orders...but I can't just leave by myself...even though I am a seventh year the castle gets CREEPY at night,_she thought, involuntarily shuddering at the thought of traveling around the cold, damp castle. She began to fiddle with her locket but dropped it as a gentle touch on her shoulder snapped her back to reality once again. She whipped around, and was suddenly looking into a pair of sparkling amber eyes. Remus.

"Hey, Rem," Anne breathed, "how was your holiday?"

"Eh, it was alright...I wasn't feeling so great at times..but...erm...on the whole it was enjoyable," Remus said with some difficulty. Suddenly, his eyes brightened and he noted, "You know, I seem to notice that our friends have been given the honour of being the Head Students, and that leaves us alone."

"You mean that leaves **me** alone," Anne softly corrected, "you still have Sirius and Peter."

"Look around you Liese," Remus said, using his special nickname for her, "the boys disappeared right after the feast ended...said something about cheesecake and Slytherins...however that works together," he added with a smirk.

"Ah," Anne said, feeling quite foolish.  _I shouldn't have said that. Of course they're not here, you'd think that I could use my eyes and notice that! Why do I have to get so flabbergasted whenever he's around??! What IS it about him?_ Anne asked herself. Upon not finding a good answer she looked at the brown-haired boy, then down at her locket and decidedly said, "Well, we're both alone, why not walk back to the common room together?"

"Definitely!" Remus exclaimed.

Meanwhile, Lily and James were waiting for Professor Dumbledore to finish talking to Professor McGonagall about a Transfiguration theorem of some kind. With Transfiguration not being her best subject, Lily amused herself by looking around the now empty Great Hall. Some movement caught her attention, and she widened her bright green eyes in surprise.  _Is that Remus and Anneliese?! Wow! I knew that he tutored her and they were friendly, but.....whew! I'll have to make her spill later tonight after this meeting with Potter,_ she decided.

As James was watching the lovely red head take in the surroundings, he too noticed his werewolf friend walk off with none other than Anneliese Stevens. He let out a low whistle and muttered to himself, "Way to go Moony!"

Lily turned around and asked James with interest, "What did you just say?"

Before James could reply, Professor Dumbledore answered instead with, "Oh my dear, I was just speaking with Professor McGonagall about a very complex theorem....don't tell her, but I really wasn't listening...I was thinking about my new socks. Do you like them?" Dumbledore raised his robes to reveal rainbow-coloured socks that, in Lily's opinion, were absolutely adorable!

"Erm..yes, sir....they are....well....they are something," James stuttered.

Lily laughed out loud and turned to the Professor, "Sir, you requested a meeting with us?"

"Ah yes Miss Evans, always one step ahead," Dumbledore observed, "but yes, the meeting is quite important. As you both know, being the Head Students is an incredible responsibility and I expect you both to take these roles very seriously. You are the role models of the school and the epitome of what the perfect Hogwarts students should be. So that means, Mister Potter, that you will have to try to put an end to executing the pranks..however, you can still be a part of planning them," Dumbledore said, with an extra twinkle in his clear blue eyes.

"Professor!" Lily exclaimed in shock, scandalized.

"It's alright Miss Evans, really," Dumbledore responded with a slight chuckle, "I just want you, especially, to remember that will all this responsibility you must also remember to have fun. All work and no play is not a way to live. I believe this is the end of the meeting. I just wanted to stress the importance of your positions, and if you wouldn't mind, please gather the prefects together for a meeting at the end of next week so that I can announce our yearly plans and you can begin to divvy up the work. Have a wonderful evening!"

"Good-bye Professor," chorused Lily and James.

"Well, Lily, I suppose that leaves just you and me to get back to the head dormitories."

"You mean, just you. I'm not staying in the head dormitories. I don't want to leave Anne alone," Lily explained looking past his silver wire-rimmed spectacles and into his hazel eyes, "we're just too close, and besides, I don't want to share anything, least of all a dormitory, with YOU of all people!"

"Ouch, that hurts Lily," James said in mock-sadness, "I guess that means that if you won't stay in the head dormitories, then neither will I. Us head students ought to stick together."

And before Lily could protest, the messy haired boy had already grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her out of the Great Hall, headed for the Gryffindor common room.

Anneliese and Remus had just entered the common room when they heard a commotion.  _Honestly, I finally get Liese to myself and there has to be a problem? Why can't I just get her alone?? I was going to try and tell her the truth tonight. If she can accept my condition, then maybe she could possibly give me a chance with her...or never speak to me again.... _Remus miserably thought to himself. But before he had time to reprimand himself even more, the cause of the commotion came into full view.

On a table in the middle of the Gryffindor common room stood Sirius Black, decked out in full Renaissance-style clothing with a cowering Peter Pettigrew at the table's legs. Remus, with his excellent hearing (a beneficial side effect of his lycanthropy) was just able to catch what Sirius was saying.

"....and we shall therefore execute a prank greater than any other on the Slytherins tomorrow morning before breakfast," Sirius stated like a true king. "Here here!" supported Peter.

"Huzzah!" exclaimed the Gryffindors, first through seventh years alike.

"We will make them cower! We will make them beg! The cheesecake will rule supreme............**FOREVER!!!!!** " barked Sirius, full of adrenalin.

"Cheesecake forever!!!" chanted the Gryffindors.

Remus didn't have a clear thought inside his head.  _Cheesecake? What the HELL is he going to do with....cheesecake of all things?_

Anneliese grabbed her locket and began to run her fingers over it as she thought, _Cheesecake??? CHEESECAKE?? Oh just wait until Lily hears this one!_

Suddenly, the sounds of "Cheesecake forever!" were abruptly cut off by a flash of red hair and blazing bright green eyes. The Gryffindors knew that they had done it. Even the first years knew that their Head Girl was not a force to be reckoned with. "WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?" Lily shouted, her voice magnified by the high ceiling and complete silence. "James and I are gone for all of one hour and chaos ensues? I think not! I am Head Girl and I REFUSE to have this kind of ruckus occur whilst I am in charge."

"Um, excuse me Lily?" James asked meekly.

"What?" Lily shot.

"Did you just say 'whilst'?" James inquired.

"AAAH, Potter, don't start. You're supposed to be on my side, not against me!" Lily reprimanded.

"Yes, yes, of course," James said hastily, "let's see...everyone who participated in this...this...well, THING, you all will only receive a warning. No, no you're not in trouble. But, trust me, if Lily or I ever catch you breaking any kind of rule, any SMALL one, it doesn't matter which, you will land yourself in a lot of trouble. And if you think Lily is bad now, this is her on a GOOD day," James finished off, with a few snickers from the older students.

"James is right," Lily agreed as an afterthought, "now, off to bed, we have classes tomorrow."

As the students stomped off to bed, Lily ran over to Anne and gave her a look that simply said 'you-better-tell-me-everything-about-your-walk-with-Remus'. Anneliese just said, "I'll tell you tomorrow, it's been a long day. First, we nearly miss the train. Then, Potter does a complete three sixty and is nice to you. THEN, I find out that cheesecake will rule supreme at Hogwarts. I think I'm done for the night," Anneliese said, exhausted while putting her locket underneath her robe.

"Yeah," Lily replied, "I couldn't agree more."

Without another word, the two girls walked tiredly up the staircase to the seventh year girls' dormitories, not noticing amber and hazel eyes following them the whole way.


	2. Chapter Two

Disclaimer--the same as all the others. "Here Comes The Sun" was written by the late great George Harrison and performed by the Beatles. Also, "Golden Slumbers" was written by Paul McCartney and performed by the Beatles as well. Please read and review....it would mean the world to me! : )

**Revelations**

"Once there was a way to get back homeward   
Once there was a way to get back home   
Sleep pretty darling do not cry   
And I will sing a lullaby

Golden slumbers fill your eyes   
Smiles awake you when you rise   
Sleep pretty darling do not cry   
And I will sing a lullaby

Once there was a way to get back homeward   
Once there was a way to get back home   
Sleep pretty darling do not cry   
And I will sing a lullaby"

The Beatles

The Next Day

A solitary beam of sunlight found its way into Lily's four poster bed. It's funny how much damage a little sliver of light can do, especially when it's aimed right at your eyes. Giving up to the inevitable, Lily grudgingly opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. Sitting up on her bed she looked around the seventh year girls dormitory. She and Anne had to share the room with three other girls that they hardly even spoke to. 'Come to think of it,' Lily pondered, 'we don't even know their names....hmmm go figure.'

Shutting off her alarm clock before it could go off, Lily threw her covers aside, grabbed her slippers and bathrobe, shuffling into the bathroom. In the middle of her showering experience, the overwhelming urge to sing "Here Comes The Sun" consumed her and she had to comply, for the force was to great to ignore. So in an EXTREMELY loud voice she began to sing,

"Here comes the sun do do do do   
Here comes the sun and I say   
It's alright

Little darling it's been a long cold lonely winter   
Little darling it feels like years since it's been here   
Here comes the sun do do do do   
Here comes the sun and I say   
It's alright

Little darling the smiles are returning to their faces   
Little darling it seems like years since it's been here   
Here comes the sun do do do do   
Here comes the sun and I say   
It's alright

Sun sun sun here it comes!

Little darling, I feel that ice is slowly melting   
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been clear   
Here comes the sun do do do do   
Here comes the sun and I say   
It's alright"

Satisfied with her shower and having her spirits lifted by singing The Beatles, Lily contentedly exited the stall and wrapped her bath robe around her tightly. Upon stepping out of the bathroom, however, Lily noticed that all of the girls (except for Anne who was smiling insanely) seemed to be angry with her. 'I guess I was singing a little too loud.' Lily thought.

"I....erm....I'm sorry?" Lily tried to apologize.

With a grunt or two, the girls accepted her apology and then took their turns in the shower.

"Ah, whatever. The warm water woke me up and reminded me that I'm at Hogwarts, I'm Head Girl, and I was woken up by the sun...it just seemed like a perfect opportunity to sing The Beatles!" Lily explained to Anne.

"Oh Lily dear, ANYTIME is a good time to sing The Beatles!" Anne exclaimed.

The two girls absolutely adored the popular wizarding band. Unexpectedly, the group was just as popular in the muggle world as in the wizarding world; so many students at Hogwarts and in Lily's home town knew about them. Ever since first year, Anne had been addicted to the Fab Four and Lily honestly couldn't blame her. The girls absolutely adored The Beatles, and had been known by the student body, to randomly break out in a different Beatles song from time to time. However, now wasn't the time to be talking about The Fabs, as the girls only had a half an hour before breakfast.

"Oh Lily! I didn't even realize the time!" Anne said, panicking, "I'm going to go and take a shower, get dressed, and then I'll meet up with you in the common room, ok?"

"Alright Anne, that sounds fine with me," Lily said, and then dried her hair with a drying spell and took out her Hogwarts robes and got changed. Just as she was picking up her books to go to the common room, Lily realized that she hadn't put on her Head Girl badge. After looking around for a few minutes, she found it underneath some clutter on her head stand. She hurriedly grabbed the badge and walked swiftly out of the room. She didn't want to be there when her dorm-mates got out of the shower.

In the boy's dorm----

Remus Lupin groggily opened his bright amber eyes and stared around the room. 'What day is it? It's...wait! It's Friday! Today is the first day of classes and we have ten minutes until breakfast is done!! Why won't one of us just get a darned alarm clock???' Remus fumed.

"OY, BOYS! WE HAVE TEN MINUTES UNTIL BREAKFAST IS OVER...THAT MEANS IN TEN MINUTES ALL THE FOOD WILL BE GOOOOOOOOOONE," Remus sang loudly.

"Food? Whaaat? Where? Where's the food???" Sirius inquired, grasping at the air for "food".

"The food, Padfoot," Remus explained slowly, "is in the Great Hall. You can't have any of the food until you get into the Great Hall, and," Remus paused for effect, "all of the food will be gone in....nine minutes," Remus finished with a flourish.

"WHAT? NINE MINUTES?" Sirius shrieked. That was enough for him, he zoomed into the shower and in two minutes was out, dressed, and running towards the Great Hall.

During that time, Remus woke the other boys up, and took a quick shower himself. James had just gone in to wash up while Peter just woke up, got changed, and headed toward the Great Hall mumbling something about "......got to clean up the cheesecake.....damn cheesecake......."

Remus looked after him, puzzled, but quickly dismissed the thought. He decided to wait for James, and besides, he needed to ask him for a favour.

James walked out of the bathroom a few seconds later, with his hair matted to his head..a change from his usual messy bed-hair look.

"Prongs, I like the new look," Remus commented, "very....Julius Caesar," before errupting into a fit of laughter.

"Yeah yeah ha ha, let's all laugh at James!" he mocked, "come on we're going to miss breakfast!"

"Yes sir, Mister Head Boy Sir," Remus mock-saluted.

"You're an odd one, you know that right?" James questioned.

"Mmm-hmmm," Remus hummed proudly.

The boys quickly made their way down the stairs and through the portrait hole and as they were walking through the stone hallway, Remus decided to ask James for the favour, "Hey James, could I ask you something?"

"Sure Moony, anything, you know that," James said with concern laced through his voice.

"Well, I was just wondering, if maybe you'd be able to help me out with...." Remus faltered for a moment. _Should I tell James about Liese or shouldn't I? Ah, this isn't going the way that I planned._

"With what Remus?" James asked, and then as realization dawned on him, "or should I say, 'with whom'?"

As Remus blushed, James knew he got it right. "Remus, do you want me to help you out with a girl?"

"Well, yes, kind of. I just, I really want to talk to her and I can never find the right time or place. I was hoping if maybe you'd help me out and give me some advice. I'd understand if you don't want to, afterall, you are closer to Padfoot than me, and that's alright, I'll understand completely.." Remus rambled on and on.

"Moony..STOP. Relax, of course I'll help you! Now, you want to get her alone to....erm.....talk?" James winked at him, "let's see....well, you could borrow the cloak and the map and maybe go to the lake for a 'midnight picnic'." James suggested.

"AAAh, Prongs! You are a GENIUS! I wonder why I didn't think of that. Hmm...I wonder if she'll say yes.." Remus trailed off, looking towards the Great Hall.

"If it's the girl I'm thinking of, then I'm sure she'll say yes. If you're still a little uncomfortable Moony, just tell her it's a tutoring session of sorts. Once you get to the lake I think she'll understand what kind of "tutoring" you want to give her," James said with amusment evident on his face.

"Hey James? What brought about this sudden change?" Remus asked.

"Well, a girl can do strange things to you mate...strange things," James said wistfully.

Now we're back to the girls-----

Lily and Anne had just sat down at the table and began shoveling food on their plates. Half-way through their breakfast they were interrupted by a nervous sounding boy clearing his throat. They turned around and came face-to-face with none other than Remus Lupin and James Potter.

"Hey Liese," Remus began shakily. Lily raised her eyebrows at the use of the nickname "Liese" but allowed him to continue, "I was just wondering...erm...if you'd like to meet me in the common room tonight....to erm...study," Remus finished lamely.

"Study? But Rem, it's only the first day of classes," Anne responded with a small smile playing on her lips.

"Ah, yes, you are correct, but hey, it's never too early to study, right? Yeah, so...erm......" Remus was loosing his confidence by the second. 'Liese, please just tell me yes or no, I can't take this!' Remus pleaded with her in his mind.

"Well, I suppose you're right," Anne said thoughtfully as she pulled her locket out from underneath her robes, "my marks in DADA last year weren't really up to par, and my family did say they wanted me to work to my full potential. Yes, I'll meet up with you tonight at about 10:00. Does that work for you?"

"Oh yes, that's perfect," Remus said gratefully with small pink patches appearing on his cheeks. 'Absolutely perfect,' he thought to himself. "Ok, well, I'm going to go and eat some breakfast because.....well that's what I came here to do!"

"Erm...alright Remus," Anne said, "are you feeling well?" she asked with worry.

"Yeah I'm fine...see you later!" Remus exclaimed, dragging James with him and walking over to where Sirius was stuffing his face and Peter smelled strongly of cheesecake.

'That was odd' Anne thought, once again playing with her locket. 'Very odd indeed....but wonderful! Now I get some alone time with Remus!'

"Well, good for Remus, he knows the importance of good study habits!" Lily happily exclaimed. "Now Anne, about your walk with him last night..................."

After a fun-filled day of Double Transfiguration and Potions Lily, Anne, and the rest of the seventh year Gryffindors finally retreated back to the common room. Flopping down on the comfy red couch with a sigh Anne said, "It's good to be home."

"Yeah," Lily agreed, "it is great to finally be home. Hey, isn't it almost time for your 'study date' with Remus?" Lily asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Yeah, will you look at the time.....it's almost time for the tutoring session. TUTORING session Lily. It's not a 'date'. No no no," Anne replied, her cheeks turning a bright pink.

"Anneliese Stevens, I think you have a crush on our young Mr. Lupin!" Lily squealed.

"Oh shush, I do not!" Anne retorted, but her glowing pink cheeks betrayed her, "ack, so what if I do? It's not like he would ever like me more than a dumb tutoring student," Anne added, hanging her head.

"Oh will you gain some bloody self-confidence Anne! Look at you, you're GORGEOUS!" Lily exclaimed. And she was right. Even though Anne didn't believe it, she was beautiful. Her dirty blonde hair hung half way down her back, curling slightly at the bottom. Her large, forest green eyes were attention-grabbing and soulful. Her genuine, wide smile was the envy of every girl and the cute dimple on her right cheek never failed to turn the boys' heads. But she never noticed anything, like when she got an extra smile from Remus, and never saw the longing and adoration always present in his eyes. But Lily saw it. She saw it at breakfast and knew that tonight things would change for her best friend.

"Okay dear, it's time for you to get ready...let's pick out something for you to wear!" Lily exclaimed.

"Oh alright," Anne half-heartedly said and allowed herself to be dragged up the stairs by a determined Lily.

'It's 10:15....where IS she? I knew she wouldn't come..she must think that Im an idiot for suggesting to study DADA. We haven't even had the first DADA class of the year yet and here I am on a Friday night waiting to tell a non-existent girl the biggest secret of my life and..' but Remus' thoughts were cut short. He heard someone coming down the stairs and quickly spun around to make sure it wasn't Sirius trying to hex him for some reason or another. But when he saw who it was, his breath caught in his throat and he couldn't move. He had never seen her look so amazing before.

Anneliese descended the staircase with grace, coming from her younger years of being a dance student (at her grandmother's insistence). She floated down the stairs, a long bohemian skirt rippling ever so slightly with her every move. The light tan colour of the skirt, along with a rich green peasant top complimented her pale skin and made her dark green eyes glow. Her eyes, framed by lush dark eyelashes seemed to be sad tonight, and Remus noticed she was fingering a golden locket.

As she walked toward him, the light cast onto her by the fire transformed her normally light brown hair into gold, making her look ethereal. As she sat down next to him, her fruity scent surrounded him, and he could do nothing but stare. The cloak and map lay forgotten at his feet, because at that moment he wanted nothing more than to just sit with her forever.

"Rem? Hey, are you alright? What's the matter?" Anne asked, her voice laced with concern.

"Oh, erm, nothing, hey. Yeah, so I was um, the book.....werewolf....aah...." Remus fumbled, looking for the right words to tell her his deepest secret.

"Are we studying werewolves tonight? Is that what you wanted to go over?" Anneliese questioned, confused.

"Ah, yes, in a sense. I was actually hoping to talk to you about something rather important....." Remus trailed off.

"Yeesssss?" Anne inquired her voice abnormally high with hope.

"There's something that you need to know about me, something that no one but James, Sirius, and Peter know.........." and with that, Remus began his story of how he contracted lycanthropy at a young age.

Meanwhile, Lily sat bored in the seventh year girls dormitory. She wanted to sit on the stairs to hear how Anne and Remus' "tutoring session" was going, but she knew that Anne would tell her everything later, and didn't want to be weird like that. But after 10 minutes, she couldn't stand the boredom and left the room to sit on the stairs. She was straining to hear their converstaion and had just caught Remus saying

"......was in the woods. I was too young and before I knew it-"

But Lily didn't get to hear what happened next in Remus' story. She felt someone yank her arm and pull her off of the staircase into another room. _James_. She would know those warm hazel eyes and dark crazy hair anywhere.

"What did you do that for Potter? I just wanted to see how things were coming along!" Lily exclaimed.

"Well, maybe you could cut Remus some slack and leave the two of them alone," James said. He knew that Remus was planning on telling Anneliese everything in the hopes that she would accept him regardless of his secret. He couldn't have Lily finding out indirectly...it was Remus' duty to tell whom he wanted.

Lily looked around the room and was disgusted at what she saw. Clothes and books were strewn everywhere. She couldn't even see the carpet. 'Where am I? Oh my goodness, I'm in the seventh year boy's dorm!' Lily thought to herself, horrified.

"Potter, let me out!" Lily stormed over to the door but James was too fast for her. He blocked the doorway with his arms crossed, refusing to let her pass.

"No way Lily. You can't. Something important is going on down there and I can't let you interrupt it."

"Since when did you turn into a caring human being? The Potter I know would simply walk down there and hex everyone simply because he can!" Lily huffily stated.

"Well, Lily, you obviously don't know me as well as you thought. My friends mean a lot to me and I respect them. I would do anything for them, as they, I'm sure, would reciprocate back to me. Remus requested that I keep the common room empty tonight, so I did. Nobody's down there and no one WILL go down there until he gives me the signal. So it seems as if you are stuck up here with me for the evening!" James triumphantly replied.

"I can't believe this...James Potter CARES for people? I'm stuck here.....stuck here......Anne really owes me for this one...." Lily muttered to herself.

"Oh come on Lily, it won't be that bad! We can have fun. Sure, not half as much fun we could have if Sirius and Peter were here, but, being the Head Students, I'm sure we can come up with something wickedly clever," James said with a hopeful smile.

"Oh, I don't know James, I was hoping-" with that, Lily clamped her hand over her mouth, and James just stared at her in shock. 'Did I just call him 'James'? The world must be flat! What is this?? He tells me how he cares for his friends and suddenly I can call him by his first name?' Lily mentally kicked herself.

She and James just stared at each other for a few seconds until their trance was broken by someone sobbing downstairs.

"Oh Remus! I'm soo sorry," Anneliese choked out through tears, "I can't believe it. How horrible for you!" she exclaimed, and then pulled him into a tight hug.

"You mean, you don't mind? You'll still be my friend?" Remus asked, dumbfounded.

"OF COURSE! I care for you so much Rem, why **wouldn't** I be your friend?" Anne replied.

Relief washed over Remus and he relaxed and only gripped her harder, pulling her closer to him and becoming engulfed by her sweet scent. The two teenagers stayed like that for a few seconds when a herd of feet came banging down the stairs.

The two quickly broke apart to reveal a worried Lily and James.

"We heard you crying Anne...are you alright?" Lily asked, worry obvious all over her face.

"Yes, Lil, I'm fine. Don't worry. I just got a little upset over something, but Remus helped me," Anne replied with a smile in Remus' direction her dark eyes still shining with tears as she continued, "well, I'm a little tired, thanks for the help Rem, and I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, tomorrow," Remus replied in a daze.

He watched her and Lily walk up the steps and then turned to James.

"Prongs, I think she's it," Remus simply said.

Lily flung Anneliese on the bed and demanded to know what was said between her and Remus. All Anne could tell her was that she and Remus had a serious talk and were closer because of it. Anne, like James, felt it was Remus' job to decide who to tell his secret to.

Deciding that she wasn't going to get any answers she wanted, Lily gave up and asked the pretty seventeen year old a question that had been dancing around in her mind since the first time the girls met.

"Hey, Anne? What's up with your locket?" Lily inquired.

"Ah..well...erm....it was a gift from my sister. I got it a long time ago," Anne said while her hands flew up to the locket, holding it protectively, "I'd rather not talk about it right now, if you don't mind."

"Um, alright. Case closed I guess. I was just wondering because you wear it every single day...does it have a picture in it?" Lily pushed.

"I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT THIS RIGHT NOW!" Anne exploded, on the verge of tears, "I honestly don't want to talk about the damned locket!" with this, she flew out of the room, down the stairs, and flung herself out of the portrait hole, headed for the lake.

Remus and James were in their own respective dazes in their dormitory. The heavy rain pelted the castle and only seemed to aid the boys in staying in their day dreams. Remus, laying on his bed, was on cloud nine because despite his lycanthropy Anne still wanted to be close to him. James, walking around the dorm, was ecstatic because, well, because Lily called him by his first name.

The door slammed open and in walked Sirius and Peter. "Hey you two, where've you been?" Remus asked.

"Eh, detention with McGonagall..apparently one of the first years got a little frightened by Lily's threats and told her about our....plans," Sirius responded, getting a glazed look in his eyes, while Peter fidgeted behind him, his eyes nervously darting all around the room.

"Poor Padfoot. She found out about the cheesecake, huh?" James laughed, not noticing Peter's peculiar behavior.

"Yes, Prongs, if you must know. She found out about my cheesecake plans...my wonderful, delectable, sensuous, aromatic cheeeeesecake," Sirius explained, nearly drooling.

"Sirius, what IS it with you and cheesecake?" Remus demanded, sitting up on his bed.

"My dear Moony, if you must know, my cheesecake obsession began when I was a wee young lad. One day I was walking through this Muggle neighborhood, you know and it was odd for me because I never walk through Muggle neighborhoods and I saw-" but Sirius was cut off by Remus sharply saying, "Wait". At that same moment Remus sensed that something was wrong and ran over to the window where he noticed a figure on the lawn by the Quidditch pitch. He opened the window and could just make out a sweet, fruity aroma. Liese. His Liese was in trouble. He raced right past Sirius calling "Got to go...it's Liese!" over his shoulder in the boys' general direction.

Sirius, who was angry that he couldn't finish his cheesecake story went over to the window and said, "Hey, isn't that Lily Evans?" Not even going to the window to confirm it, James raced out of the door and ran right through the portrait hole, hot on Remus' heels and determined to figure out why the two best friends would be outside at midnight.

"Anneliese, PLEASE! STOP! I didn't realize that the locket would be such a big deal! I didn't mean anything by it!! I swear!!" Lily screeched.

Anne didn't even regard her best friend and continued to run, with tears streaming down her cheeks and her locket continually slipping out of her hands because of the rain. She knew that it wasn't Lily's fault, but she couldn't help her emotions. With everything that Remus told her, and then the unwanted reminder of her sister....it was all too much. She kept running, stepping in puddles and nearly slipping on mud, but she didn't care. She had to get away from everyone.

Lily, a few feet behind her, kept on running, not caring about anything but getting to Anne and comforting her. She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't see a large mud pile. She slipped, let out a scream, and fell flat on her back. Blinded by all the rain she didn't notice a figure run past her yelling out, "LIESE!" in a panicked voice. She did, however, feel warm slippery arms reach behind her lifting the Head Girl to a standing position. Wanting to discover the person's identity she whirled around and was surprised to see "JAMES?! Geez, this night just keeps on getting weirder and on we have to get Anne...something is VERY wrong." James nodded and the two wordlessly followed Remus and Anneliese into the Forbidden Forrest.


End file.
